Iran’s Majlis speaker voices optimism about emerging signs of wisdom in dealing with Syria as Russia and the US agree on eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons.

“Perhaps the situation brought about in recent days is a sign of rational decision making regarding regional issues,” Ali Larijani said at a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Osama al-Nujaifi, in Tehran on Saturday.

After weeks of escalating war threats from Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached an agreement on Saturday which requires the Syrian government to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons by mid-2014.

The two sides also agreed to immediately press for UN penalties if Damascus fails to comply.

Larijani said the United States has realized that taking military action against Syria will provoke reactions that could further fuel the flames of war. Moreover, he added, waging a war without the approval of the UN Security Council will be in breach of international law and set a wrong precedent for further violations.

The Iraqi parliament speaker also warned against any attack on Syria, saying a potential US strike against the Arab country would affect the whole region.

Nujaifi said he believes the crisis in Syria can be resolved only through elections, and urged all foreigners involved in the Syrian conflict to leave the country.

The rhetoric of war against Syria gained momentum after the militants operating inside the country and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed on August 21 that over a thousand people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds on the outskirts of Damascus.

The Syrian government categorically rejected the allegation, describing the attack as a false-flag operation carried out by militants to draw in foreign military intervention.

On September 9, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Damascus welcomed the Russian plan that proposed Syria put its chemical weapons under international control to avoid a US military strike in retaliation for the alleged August attack.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said on Thursday that his country had become a full member of the international treaty prohibiting the use of chemical weapons.

On the same day, the United Nations also confirmed that it had received documents from Syria on joining the Chemical Weapons Convention.

HK